OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive patients show higher left ventricular (LV) contractility, as assessed by traditional echocardiographic indices and carotid wave intensity (WI) parameters, including amplitude of the peak during early (W1 ) and late systole (W2 ). METHODS: A total of 145 untreated hypertensive patients were compared with 145 age- and sex-matched normotensive subjects. They underwent comprehensive echocardiography and WI analysis...

Objective: assess the influence of an intervention, comprised of counseling related to health and aerobic physical training for lowering pressure values, in anthropometric indicators and in the adjustment of biochemical parameters in individuals with hypertension. Method: intervention study of the randomized clinical trial variety, with 42 individuals. The intervention-group followed the protocol of health counseling, nutrition and physical activity. Results: two intervention groups were considered: intervention-group (a) and intervention-group (b)...

This study focused on the association between physical activity in the second trimester of pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes: low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The study used a sample from the BRISA cohort, São Luís, Maranhão State, Brazil, which included women with singleton pregnancy, gestational age from 22 to 25 weeks confirmed by obstetric ultrasound performed at < 20 weeks, and re-interviewed in the first 24 hours postpartum (n = 1,380)...

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown that serum levels of vitamin D were lower in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children compared to healthy controls. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of vitamin D supplementation as adjunctive therapy to methylphenidate on symptoms of children with ADHD. METHODS: Sixty-two children aged 5-12 years with a diagnosis of ADHD based on DSM-IV criteria were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either 2000IU vitamin D or placebo in addition to methylphenidate for 8 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Computerized respiratory sounds are a simple and noninvasive measure to assess lung function. Nevertheless, their potential to detect changes after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is unknown and needs clarification if respiratory acoustics are to be used in clinical practice. Thus, this study investigated the short- and mid-term effects of PR on computerized respiratory sounds in subjects with COPD. METHODS: Forty-one subjects with COPD completed a 12-week PR program and a 3-month follow-up...

BACKGROUND: Physical activity helps people maintain a healthy weight and reduces the risk for several chronic diseases. Although this knowledge is widely recognized, adults and children in many countries around the world do not get recommended amounts of physical activity. Although many interventions are found to be ineffective at increasing physical activity or reaching inactive populations, there have been anecdotal reports of increased physical activity due to novel mobile games that embed game play in the physical world...

The study objective was to examine whether meeting the new Canadian 24-h movement guidelines was associated with health indicators in a representative sample of Canadian children and youth. Cross-sectional findings are based on 4157 (1239 fasting subsample) children and youth aged 6-17years from cycles 1-3 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). Sleep and screen time were subjectively measured while moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) was accelerometer-determined. Health indicators in the full sample (body mass index (BMI) z scores, waist circumference, blood pressure, behavioral strengths and difficulties score (lower=better), and aerobic fitness) and fasting subsample (triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and insulin) were measured...

BACKGROUND: Individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) often have reduced physical activity, which may increase the future risk of diabetes mellitus. Although diabetes is a risk factor for PAD, whether low ankle-brachial index (ABI) predates diabetes has not been studied. METHODS: We examined the association of ABI with incident diabetes using Cox proportional hazards models in the ARIC Study. ABI was measured in 12,247 black and white participants without prevalent diabetes at baseline (1987-1989)...

BACKGROUND: Stress is a potent immunomodulator contributing to chronic conditions. Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a life-threatening late effect of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation associated with stress and exaggerated immune response that may be associated to lifestyle behaviors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore associations among lifestyle behaviors, perceived stress, and inflammation of individuals with cGVHD. METHODS: A secondary analysis from a prospective observational study of 24 adults (≥18 years) with cGVHD was conducted...

OBJECTIVE: Muscle weakness due to trauma from the surgical approach is anticipated to affect the ability of the patient to undertake daily physical activity early after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The objective of this study was to compare daily physical activity on days 1 to 4 after discharge, in patients following THA performed by 1 of 3 surgical approaches. DESIGN: A cohort study included 60 hip osteoarthritis patients, scheduled for THA, allocated to direct lateral approach, posterior approach, or anterior approach...

The present generation of women of childbearing age more frequently suffer from overweight, obesity, initial as well as fully established metabolic syndrome, which together with postponing motherhood until the third decade in life plays an important role in the increasing incidence of gestational diabetes (GDM) that currently affects about 1/5 of pregnant women. However the causal link between diabetes during pregnancy and metabolic diseases in the whole population is mutual. By way of epigenetic changes, maternal diabetes unfavourably programmes metabolism of the offspring, who tend to transfer the disorder to the next generations...

Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is associated with low level of physical activity and exercise, which may lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis. However, studies of bone mineral density (BMD) in fibromyalgia have shown conflicting results. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to better characterize the association between FMS and BMD. A comprehensive search of the databases MEDLINE and EMBASE was performed from inception through May 2016. The inclusion criterion was the observational studies' assessment of the association between fibromyalgia and bone mineral density in adult subjects...

BACKGROUND: Obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges worldwide. It is not only a medical but also a philosophical, ecological, economic, sociocultural, and psychological problem as well as a severe consequence of our modern value definition to 'receive more and more'. Therefore, physicians are not able to treat obesity broadly and should not be used as tools to achieve certain weight goals. METHODS: This article presents an outline of conservative obesity therapy...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to nicotine via tobacco smoking may influence leptin release and decrease food intake among smokers. However, the effect of nicotine exposure on leptin and food intake among different nicotine dependent groups is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to measure leptin and calorie intake among different nicotine dependent groups. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Research department in school of medical sciences...

Estimating causal effects requires important prior subject-matter knowledge and, sometimes, sophisticated statistical tools. The latter is especially true when targeting the causal effect of a time-varying exposure in a longitudinal study. Marginal structural models are a relatively new class of causal models that effectively deal with the estimation of the effects of time-varying exposures. Marginal structural models have traditionally been embedded in the counterfactual framework to causal inference. In this paper, we use the causal graph framework to enhance the implementation of marginal structural models...

The aim of this study was to assess sedentary behavior during school recess in Brazilian boys and girls. The study included 455 students (233 boys and 222 girls), aged 8 to 17 years, enrolled in a public school in the city of Londrina, Brazil. All data was collected using questionnaires. Logistic regression with odds ratio and confidence interval (95%) was used to measure the relationship between sedentary behavior and sex, age, weight, screen time, and economic status. There was a high prevalence (40.7%) of sedentary behavior in this sample, with girls (aged 8 to 17 years) more likely than boys (54...

BACKGROUND: Knowledge regarding physical activity (PA) and its benefits in pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) is growing and suggests high levels of inactivity. The utility of a validated screening tool for clinical settings is unknown. This study evaluated the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) as a measure of PA in POMS. METHODS: POMS patients (n=27) and healthy controls (n=45) wore an accelerometer over a 7-day period and then completed the GLTEQ...